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Platforms


chris
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Having previously used old cassette cases as base supports for platforms my supply has dried up so I'm thinking about using cable trunking.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mini-trunking-25mm-x-16mm-x-2m/81974

It's height, at 16mm, is about right and I'll top it with floor tiles which have worked quite well on top of the cassette cases. I'll trim the front with brick plasticard.

The trunking comes in two parts which will make it easy to screw it in place and then snap the top in place.

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Tom, yes it does look the business. Spotted a length of it while I was in the loft. The only annoying thing is that I didn't notice it a few months back when I went up there to look for just such an item. Could have saved me a lot of messing around with cassette, CD and playstation cases.

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chris said:

Tom, yes it does look the business. Spotted a length of it while I was in the loft. The only annoying thing is that I didn't notice it a few months back when I went up there to look for just such an item. Could have saved me a lot of messing around with cassette, CD and playstation cases.

The thing is though, Chris, you have generously shared your knowledge. That is what this is all about, we each make a tiny step forward and it helps the rest of us.

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It is a great idea but I'm sure you could re-do some of your platforms with it for lights and things as it would be ideal for that. And I do thank you for sharing this with us. I have been thinking of an alternative to wooden platforms and now you have given us one!

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I wouldn't be to worried about it expanding, it is industry grade pvc. But saying that, as it splits in two very easily, if it does expand the top would pop in some places. Also, when you fix it to wood, drill the holes so they are a couple of mm bigger than the screw to allow for expantion.

Tom

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  • 2 years later...

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All my platforms now use trunking. I've learnt that using three runs of trunking works better than two. With two, the centre doesn't have anything to stick to and will bow up. On narrow platforms I use a single price of trunking 40mm wide.

I spray the visible sides of the trunking with a red primer, grey would also work. The platform tops are made from self adhesive floor tiles. These have been cut to size and the edging slabs have been scored on to the top. The scoring is probably is more trouble than its worth as is does weaken the tile and make it more liable to break in then long run. I spray them in grey primer and then add a very light coat of black sprayed form 40 cm to darken them a little. I paint the edging stones with a brush and add white safety line.

Construction is simple. Screw the trunking down. Clip its top on. Stick the tiles on top. I measure clearly from the rail, all the time. I've also learnt not to try and get the platform too close to the rails. The outdoor environment produces a whole host of ways to make the tiles move a millimetre or two. I now leave at least a 3mm gap between platform edge and train.

The ramps at the end of the platform are tricky. I've just tried a new technique, but I'm not 100% happy with it. I'll see how it stands up.

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  • 4 months later...

Hi everyone. Thanks for the idea of trunking for platforms. I'm a newbie to all this and any help and advice is great fully received. I just thought I might mention a company called Toolstation. I'm in the building trade and have found Toolstation to be between one third and two thirds cheaper than Screwfix for exactly the same items. You don't need to be in the trade or have an account and if you spend more than a tenner you get free next day delivery. Hope this helps someone. Thanks. Mark

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  • 4 years later...

I've written a How To article on building platforms with trunking and using the cheap(?) Hornby ones. I've not said it in that article, but the only issue I have with the Hornby platforms are the end ramps. They taper in a very unprototypical fashion, a compromise to enable them to squeeze into a curve or a point a indoor layout.

On Friday I came up with an idea on how to build a better end ramp. Today, Sunday, I built them.

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I took an addition bit of platform, steps that clip into the standard straight and cut it in half. This would provide the basis for the ramps at the two ends.

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I set to work on an old kitchen chopping board, an IanR tip, and sawed the ramp ends.

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These were then stuck to the platform bits with contact adhesive. I used old overhead projector sheets to increase the surfaces I could glue. This is the only cheap sheet plastic I have. I'll have to start saving more packing.

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The vissble blush's bits were sprayed with grey primer.

The next job was to add the platform surfaces. I had off cuts of platform tops from previous jobs. The converted bathroom floor tiles were cut to size and contact adhesive was applied on top their own self adhesive.

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Not the smartest of jobs. I respray to disguise the joins may help. They were then joined to the existing Hornby platforms with a section of plastic cut form the platform used to bridge between the two, poly cement did its thing. 

There was no way that this was a strong enough structural join and there were no obvious surfaces to join with extra plastic strips. I fired up the hot glue gun and filled all the gaps.

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I strip of paint along the platform to suggest edging stones and the fencing from the original steps platform was cut in half and poly cemented in place.

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Those ugly whit marks were touched up with grey. They need a better solution, but that wasn't todays task.

And we're done.

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The platform is longer than previously. That was planned but its longer than I wanted, I didn't think to measure. It over laps a point mechanism which i wanted it to finish before, but I can live with it.

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What I couldn't live with was the lack of a fence on the ramp. Again Hornby came to the rescue. The tapered ramps have fences. Unlike the straight platform fences that are a one piece moulding the ramp fences have a separate base. The base could be dispensed with and after a bit of work with the knife and the file they were stuck with contact adhesive to the ramp. They are near enough the right length and really finish the job.

Just need to add a few centimetre of white lining to the platform edge and it's done. But I'll leave the coat of brown to dry before I go with the white.

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It's very rare for me to go from idea to competed job in a month, so I'm very pleased that I turned this round in less than 48 hours.

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